Blessed are the Persecuted
by Chris Votulle
Summary: A girl explores her faith and her life. A Tale of the Common People


OK, so it's been about five years since I wrote this thing. I figured it was time for a clean-up and some editing. This is probably the one story of mine I don't think totally sucks.  
  
Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story belong to me. However, the concept of mutants and the like belongs to Marvel. No money is being made from this story  
  
Additional Disclaimer: This story contains many religious themes. I am not trying to impose any religious beliefs on anyone and I apologize if I offend anyone. That is not my intent. I am just trying to show a different side to mutant prejudices and this idea just happened to pop into my head first.  
  
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"The Gospel of the Lord"  
  
"Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ"  
  
Father Richard placed the lectionary back on its pedestal as he moved to stand in front of the congregation. He smiled at them broadly before speaking. "As you all know it is customary for me to give a homily during this time of the mass, reflecting on today's Gospel. However, this month I have invited select members of your campus leadership team to speak on certain aspects of the Catholic religion and how it affects their lives as college students."  
  
Not many priests relish the idea of working on a college campus -- they believe that young people lack the enthusiasm and strength of mind to be fully active in the Catholic church. Father Richard, on the other hand, actually volunteered for his position. He believes that most of people's religious beliefs begin once they leave home and have a chance to "think for themselves," so to speak. He thoroughly enjoys seeing them discover God and themselves as they learn to deal with the many stresses imposed by college classes, friendships, and the search for permanent jobs.  
  
"Today's speaker will be Sarah Jacobs. Most of you have seen Sarah in our community at some point. She often volunteers in settting up mass on Sundays, cooks at the campus rectory once a week, and teaches monthly religious education classes. She is an honors Psychology major and today she will be talking to us about faith."  
  
Father Richard sat down as the congregation clapped politely. A petite girl made her way to the ambo located at the front of the altar and placed a neat pile of papers on top of it. Her looks were rather nondescript -- she had mousy brown hair and brown eyes and her pale skin was dotted with freckles. She was dressed very conservatively in a long skirt and a buttoned-down top. She smiled nervously and her hands were visibly shaking as she reached for her speech.  
  
Sarah was not usually nervous about speaking in front of large groups. She had led talks on numerous religious retreats and had even given a speech in a state-wide youth conference. Her speech for today was well-outlined and geared to hold everyone's attention on this particularly sunny Sunday morning. However, Father Richard had read over her speech before mass and instead of praising her on her insight as he usually did, he merely looked at her and said, "This is decent, Sarah, but is it what you *really* want to say?" His eyes seemed to pierce her soul as he said it and, although he spoke in a friendly manner, she felt chills run up and down her spine. Was she as transparent as Father Richard made her out to be or did he just know her too well by now?  
  
Sarah looked down at her speech and then looked out at the congregation. Out there she saw many of her friends and colleagues -- people who trusted her and would never suspect her of deliberately lying to anyone. They saw in her an example of selflessness and charity which they strove to achieve. In many ways, she was a role model to many people and the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint them. She glanced over at Father Richard and he nodded to her in reassurance. *Well, it's now or never,* she told herself as she took a deep breath in order to calm her frazzled nerves.  
  
"Today I'm supposed to talk to you about faith," she said shakily. Her boyfriend gave her a questioning glance at the nervous tone of her voice from where he was sitting, but she just shook her head at him to let him know that there was no need to worry. She had a weak heart and Jason was often overprotective when it came to her health. "Oh, if only my heart was my only problem right now.* She pushed the thought out of her mind and avoided looking at Jason -- not wanting to see the betrayal in his eyes when she was done talking. "Here in my hands I have a speech that I spent hours writing. It's a pretty good speech in my opinion, but I'm not going to read it to you today." She tore the papers in half and several heads that were starting to doze immediately shot up at the noise. Whether she liked it or not, Sarah now had everyone's complete attention.  
  
"My speech was about faith in God and how we need to trust in Him, or Her, to get us through the hard times that often plague our lives." Some of the more conservative members of the congregation glared at her for the insertion of the pronoun "Her" in reference to God, but she deliberately ignored them. "However, one thing that I've learned many times on my faith journey is that God is inside all of us. God is in each and every person that exists in this world. If this is true then it should also hold true that if we have faith in God, we should also have faith in each other. It is in this aspect of my Faith that I have failed miserably."  
  
"I have lied to you all," she exclaimed loudly. She didn't dare look anyone in the eyes for fear that she would not be able to go on. "My entire life here is based on a lie because I didn't have faith in you -- because I was afraid of how you would react." At this point several people began whispering speculatively, but Father Richard quieted them by clearing his throat loudly before Sarah had a chance to lose her nerve. "I should have trusted you," Sarah half-sobbed. "You know that I've always spoken up on the importance of accepting all people regardless of race or religion. I believe that whole heartedly and I don't know why it never occurred to me that I was being a complete hypocrite in saying that. Although I pleaded with you to accept those different from you, I never even gave you the opportunity to accept me because I didn't believe that you would."  
  
"Do you see this?" Sarah grabbed at the chain around her neck and held out the small cross that dangled from it. "This cross is supposed to be a symbol of my faith, but I've turned it into a symbol of my failure. You see, it's not just a cross. My father has a rather lucrative government job with many connections. As a result, he was able to procure for me a tiny electronic device known as an image inducer. He had it fashioned in the shape of a cross so that I could wear it everyday, inconspicuously. Do you know what an image inducer is?"  
  
At this point Sarah looked at the congregation knowing that now there was no turning back. Most people avoided her eyes and those who met her gaze did so hesitantly. "An image inducer is a machine that alters one's appearance so that they look different than their natural state. It is most commonly used by mutants."  
  
"I have hid behind this cross for five years now. I have refused to let the world see the way that God made me because I was too afraid that I would be outcast. Well, I refuse to wear this cross any longer." Sarah yanked the chain off of her neck and cast it away from her. Her plain hair and eyes abruptly changed to a brilliant blue and her bespeckled skin turned the palest shade of white.  
  
"Please, don't lose faith in one another. Sometimes all we have to hold onto is those who are around us." A lone tear made its way down Sarah's cheek as she realized the change that she just inflicted on her life. "I'm not asking you to accept me and I'm not asking for you to understand my actions." Sarah wiped the tear off of her face and looked confidently at the group of people in front of her. "I'm just asking for your forgiveness." 


End file.
